The present invention relates generally to a pull-on diaper and particularly to a disposable pull-on diaper having transversely opposite side edges adapted to be broken away after used for disposal.
Disposable pull-on diapers having transversely opposite side edges adapted to be broken away after used for disposal is well known. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-339772, para. 0013-0014, FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as “Reference”), discloses a disposable pull-on diaper comprising an absorbent component and an outer cover made of a nonwoven fabric or the like adapted to be folded back on itself in a longitudinal direction to define two halves which are then bonded together along transversely opposite edges of these two halves by a means such as heat sealing so as to form side seal patterns. This pull-on diaper is characterized in that each of the side seal patterns comprises a plurality of elements continuously or intermittently arranged in a vertical direction in which the two halves of the outer cover will be torn off from each other, these elements presenting a locus such that each of these elements has a width as measured in a transverse direction which is orthogonal to a direction extending from a start point of tearing off to an end-point of tearing off is gradually enlarged from the start point of tearing off to the maximum width whereupon this width is gradually reduced until the end-point of tearing off is reached.
According to the disclosure of Reference, the seal pattern is easily ruptured in the direction of tearing off and not easily ruptured in the direction orthogonal to this direction of tearing off. However, to tear off the transversely opposite edges of this pull-on diaper, one side of the waist-hole must be held by both hands and twisted to tear off this side edge and then the other side edge must be torn off in the same manner. Such operation takes a lot of trouble particularly when the transversely opposite edges of the pull-on diaper worn by an infant are ruptured and taken off from the wearer's body.